Context
Relief International (RI) is an international non-profit organization that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing.
Our team of more than 4,000 staff and local volunteers work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education and Livelihoods programming that creates the foundation for community resilience.
We do this by working with local actors to develop safe and inclusive local programming that is evidence based, conflict sensitive, climate smart, and reaches those in need.
Relief International is an alliance of four organizations with one shared mission, comprised of Relief International, Inc., Relief International-France, Relief International-UK and Relief International-Europe, which operate under a one-team concept under a single senior leadership team.
The HRM is responsible for overseeing the implementation of human resources policies, procedures, and systems to ensure compliance with organizational policies and national labor law. The role provides strategic and operational HR support across the country program, including recruitment, employee relations, performance management, learning and development, and HR administration.
Job Profile
The HRM plays a key role in strengthening national staff capacity and supporting managers in effective people management, ensuring that HR systems support program delivery in a challenging operational environment.
The HRM is an effective advisor and educator on HR matters, including issues of HR policy local and labor law. He/she helps to create an enabling and nurturing work environment that promotes staff care and employee engagement.
Key Responsibilities
Accountability and Complexity
- Develop and implement a comprehensive HR strategy aligned with RI’s policies and local labor laws.
- Ensure HR systems and procedures are standardized and harmonized across Sudan/Chad operations.
- Oversee and ensure compliance with labor laws, employment standards, and RI policies.
- Support recruitment, compensation analysis, learning and development, performance management, and talent acquisition.
- Provide expert HR guidance to senior leadership on key people management issues.
HR Strategy and Leadership
- Lead the implementation of HR strategies aligned with organizational policies and country program priorities.
- Provide strategic HR advice to senior management on workforce planning, staffing structures, and organizational development. Ensuring that each team is staffed appropriately, according to need and funding availability, in an efficient and timely manner.
- Lead the regular review of country office roll out of HR policies, employment policies and procedures in compliance to RI’s standards and evolving national labor law.
- Contribute to the development of HR systems that support operational effectiveness in complex and emergency contexts.
- Lead and coordinate the finalization of the HR Manual and annexes. Presented to the SMT for legal review and roll out.
Talent Acquisition and Workforce Management
- Lead recruitment processes to ensure timely hiring of qualified staff in compliance with organizational recruitment procedures and national labor law and HAC.
- Support managers in developing job descriptions, staffing plans, and recruitment strategies.
- Ensure recruitment processes is timely and promotes transparency, fairness, and diversity.
- Support onboarding processes to ensure new staff are effectively integrated into the organization.
- Ensure pre-employment requirements are submitted and personnel file with documentation according to HR checklist is opened for new staff on a timely basis.
- Ensure timely updating of Bamboo for all new and existing staffing profiles
Compensation, Benefits, and Employee Relations
- Monitors industry salary and benefit levels and movements, recommending adjustments to ensure fair and equitable rewards package that is in line with the RI standards and principles.
- Assist in the periodic salary review and analysis, presenting a revision of new salary structure, as appropriate.
- Assist in advising on best practices on income tax, social insurance, bonuses, severance benefits in accordance with the law in Sudan.
- Ensure the timely and efficient payroll preparation for Direct and Indirect staff, for accurate data on donor code, number of days, benefits.
- Ensure the proper and accurate tracking of leave.
- Support deployment of HR payroll application and maintenance of the application, regularly update the application with relevant information and data, generate reports for country management team.
- Lead and advise senior management on legal and financial risks related to employment structures, workforce transitions, and contract models, ensuring informed decision-making and documented risk acceptance where required.
- Ensure compliance with labor law and internal policies related to contracts, terminations, and employee benefits.
- Support conflict resolution and address employee relations issues in a fair and timely manner.
- Promote a respectful and inclusive work environment. Help maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest and productive communication.
Workforce Transition and Compliance
- Support workforce transition processes including contract closures, restructuring, and termination procedures in compliance with labor law and RI policies.
- Ensure proper documentation and compliance for staff exits including timesheets, clearances, and final settlements.
- Provide guidance to management on legal risk mitigation related to staff restructuring or operational scale-downs.
- Ensure all workforce restructuring, terminations, and contract transitions are legally compliant, including required engagement with labor authorities.
Capacity Building and Staff Development
- Lead initiatives to strengthen the capacity of national HR staff and managers in HR policies and people management practices.
- Provide training and guidance to supervisors on recruitment, performance management, and staff supervision.
- Promote professional development opportunities for national staff.
- Support knowledge sharing and development of HR capacity within the country program.
Monitor the evaluation processes at all stages and ensure that staff and supervisors complete the review process in a timely manner.
Provide guidance to supervisors as they complete evaluations, help supervisors find effective coaching methods that work for specific issues including identifying areas of poor performance and assisting supervisors to establish plans for improving performance (PIPS), be present during review meetings when necessary.
- Provide ongoing support to staff including responding to various inquiries raised by different employees, clarifying the appraisal process forms and methodology
- Develop professional development plan for Sudan staff utilizing various free and paid-for options, based on best practices in International non-governmental organizations.
HR Systems and Reporting
- Support the implementation and use of HR information systems and staff data management tools, such as Bamboo.
- Continue to liaise with Global/desk stakeholders on new payroll system.
- Provide HR reports and workforce data to support decision-making by management.
- Monitor staffing trends and HR indicators to identify risks and workforce gaps.
Management and Leadership
- Serve as a role model for high ethical standards and integrity.
- Navigate HR-related challenges in a conflict-affected region with resilience and adaptability.
- Ensure HR initiatives are aligned with organizational objectives and measure key HR performance indicators.
- Support the Sudan Incident Management Team in safeguarding, HR-related investigations, and follow-ups.
- Liaise with peer agency HR staff as well as other RI country HR teams to share knowledge and practices that add value to the HR function and ways to strengthen team management processes.
- Performs other duties as may be delegated by the DCD-SS from time to time.
Behavior and Conduct
- Will ensure the highest standards of behavior inside and outside of work promotes the values in RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies
- Will be a model for ethical conduct standards for other team members
- Will ensure own actions and the actions of the teams’ members they manage do not impact the safety of the RI team and the vulnerable communities we serve
- Will ensure external stakeholders are aware of RI conduct and reporting mechanisms
- Report any concerns
Person Specification
Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role.
Essential Criteria
- Demonstrated experience managing HR operations in Sudan.
- Bachelor’s degree level from a recognized and reputable university, preferable with a major in HR and professional HR qualification/training in HR.
- Minimum 5 years of progressive HR experience, including at least 2 years in a managerial role within the INGO or humanitarian sector.
- Proven experience developing and implementing HR strategies in compliance with local labor laws.
- Experience supporting organizational restructuring, workforce planning, or emergency scale-up/scale-down operations.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
- Strong problem-solving skills and an innovative approach to HR challenges.
- Willingness to travel, sometimes on short notice, for HR-related duties.
- Excellent communication skills, including negotiation, presentation, and relationship management.
- Fluency in written and spoken English; proficiency in French.
RI Values
Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:
- Integrity
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Inclusivity
- Sustainability
